When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Aaron Rodgers, the hope and expectation was for him to come in and give this team an opportunity to win a Super Bowl.
Now sitting at 6-5 and in second place in the AFC North, not only do the Steelers find themselves in second place in the division after leading it for most of the year, but they're also in a spot to miss the playoffs.
Losing 31-28 to the Chicago Bears on Sunday in Week 12, the Steelers didn't get much from backup quarterback Mason Rudolph, who had to play due to Rodgers' wrist injury.
According to Mike Tomlin, that was due to Rodgers not getting enough reps during practice.
This was a very winnable game for the Steelers, but the defense and offense simply didn't do enough. For some, including Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, this was a clear example of why the team needs Rodgers back on its side as soon as possible.
His thinking was simple, too.
“But beginning with a surprising Thursday night loss to Joe Flacco and the Bengals, the Steelers have lost four of their last six games. A division lead that’s been slipping away for weeks officially changed hands on Sunday. After the Steelers’ loss and the Ravens’ win over the Jets, both teams are now 6-5. But because of tiebreakers, the Ravens now sit atop the AFC North.
“In the current playoff picture, the Steelers are on the outside looking in. They have the AFC’s eighth-best record in a seven-team playoff field. According to The Athletic’s Playoff Simulator, the Steelers have an 18 percent chance of making the playoffs. There’s still a path. If they can upset the Bills, beat the Dolphins and Browns and split with the Ravens, they’ll get to 10 wins and have a 93 percent chance to make the playoffs. But a 9-8 finish gives them only a 46 percent chance,” he wrote.
It's not unfair to suggest that at this point, the Steelers are in a very strange spot. There might even be a chance that this team doesn't make the playoffs, as crazy as that might sound given the success it has found in recent years.
Pittsburgh doesn’t exactly have a favorable schedule moving forward, either, taking on the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens twice, and the Detroit Lions.